Immigration: New bills, old borders

Immigration reform is raising its head again in Congress, stirring old hopes and fears among Democrats and forcing Republicans to re-evaluate their tactics given the re-emergence of John McCain.

Nothing is anticipated on the scale of the comprehensive immigration bill that collapsed in the Senate last year. But seasonal employers, such as the restaurant and tourism industries, are pressing hard for more H-2B visas for lower-skilled workers this summer, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised Hispanic lawmakers an opportunity to add provisions addressing concerns in their community.

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A third potential piece is a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) — with the support of fellow “Blue Dog” Democratic moderates — that takes a more conservative approach: beefing up border security and requiring employers to use a government database to verify that their workers are in the U.S. legally.

Mindful of the splits among Democrats, House Republican leaders met Tuesday night to discuss a potential discharge petition aimed at forcing Pelosi to allow a floor vote on the Shuler measure, first introduced last November. A final leadership go-ahead could come as early as Wednesday, with the goal of beginning to collect signatures next week and thereby elevating the issue prior to the spring recess beginning March 14.

The strategy is designed to force Pelosi’s hand on immigration, assuming whatever option the speaker chooses will pose problems in the fall. “That’s going to be a problem for us, because it is such a volatile issue,” said House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). “I don’t think the Republicans are interested in good policy. They’re interested in good politics right now, and they think the discharge is good politics.”

To a point, that is. Privately, some in the Republican leadership are skeptical of ever succeeding in getting the 218 signatures needed for the petition to be effective. And much as conservatives have pressed for the strategy, it could reopen old wounds with Hispanic voters at a time when the party’s likely presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, an immigration reformer, has sought to smooth over the bitter debate of last year.

The run-up to Tuesday’s Texas presidential primary only punctuates these concerns. The two Democratic contenders, Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), actively competed for the votes of the state’s large Hispanic population, even as McCain was hoping that a victory there would seal his claim to the Republican nomination.

Exit polls in Texas suggested Hispanic voters represented about 32 percent of the Democratic vote, up from 24 percent in 2004. The same surveys showed more sympathy for immigration reform, with only one in five Democratic voters saying illegal workers should be deported.

Caught most in the middle of the House maneuvering is the 21-member Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is torn between taking a tough stand for immigration overhaul and calibrating its demands to at least allow some progress.

Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.), who chairs the CHC, said drafters of the more comprehensive bill are meeting Wednesday to discuss their final package, but he would not divulge details of that legislation.

“We’re working on it,” Baca said. “Something will happen, and it will have bipartisan support.”

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who has taken the lead for employers seeking H-2B visas, said: “If it came to the floor today, it would squeak by. But we need more Republican support.” Portions of Shuler’s bill could be added to gain moderate support, but the essential trade-off for the Hispanic Caucus will be some protection for undocumented workers deemed “essential” employees.

Critics argue that the CHC has been too ideological thus far to allow a deal, and without more movement it risks being run over as pressure mounts for some relief on the H-2B visa issue.

“It is big enough to carry something decent or it is big enough to run over us,” said Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), who has been a strong ally of the caucus on immigration issues. “If we don’t scale back our demands to be commensurate with what H-2B can carry, we’ll get H-2B without anything.”